Shawshank Redemption Summary and Themes

Introduction

The Criminal Justice System is split into three major parts. There parts include corrections, criminal justice process, and policing. The movie, The Shawshank Redemption is a movie that related to the correctional part in the criminal justice system and contained many themes or ideas relating to corrections. Here in America, corrections can be used to refer to a number of different processes that are carried out by government agencies. These can include treatment, supervision, or punishment of people who have been convicted of a crime.

Plot Summary

The Shawshank Redemption starts with Andy Dufresne being sentenced 2 consecutive life terms for murdering his wife and her lover. Andy is the only person that knows that he is innocent. Nonetheless, he is sent to a prison were things start out rough for Andy where he was regularly assaulted and raped. Then they slowly get better as he makes trustworthy friends like Red.

Andy’s experiences also get better as time progresses. At one time, Andy was assigned into the public library and after that he began handling financial matters for the people at the prison. These individuals included the prison staff, guards from other prisons, and the warden himself. He and the warden develop sort of a trust over the years.

Over the many years, there obviously were new inmates. One of them was Tommy Williams who was put in for burglary and while he is in the prison, Andy helped William get a high school diploma. Andy never stopped helping the prison and other prisoners. One day, while the guards are taking the usual morning roll call, it is discovered that Andy's cell is empty and that he has escaped.

Andy had made a tunnel that took 19 years to make to escape and after serving 40 years of his sentence, Andy’s best friend, Red is paroled after being in prison for 40 years and then visits a place that Andy once spoke about. He discovers a chest containing money and a letter asking him to meet him in Mexico. In the end the two friends meet again and it’s a happy ending.

Criminal Justice Themes

There are 4 specific themes and or ideas that were in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption and are also ones we dealt with in class or ones that were in the book. One of the themes includes

Conclusion

I believe that the movie, Shawshank Redemption did a satisfactory job of showing aspects of the correctional system in the criminal justice system.

Cite this page